Ponta do Sol owes its name to the existence of a rock hedge entering into the sea where the sun beams are reflected.

Ponta do Sol is considered the warmest municipality in the island, where the sun shines the longest amount of hours.

Ponta do Sol’s settlement begun little after the discovery of the Island, in 1425.

The establishment of the old municipality of Ponta do Sol dates back to December 2, 1501, date in which king D. Manuel I promoted the village to the category of town and municipality.

Today, Ponta do Sol is the chief town of the municipality, constituted by the civil parishes of Madalena do Mar, Canhas and Ponta do Sol, and has an area of 43.3 Km2.

The fertility of the ground has always been used for the so called rich crops. At the time of the colonization, Ponta do Sol was one of the most active centres of agricultural production, namely of sugar cane.

In terms of historic and cultural heritage, in Ponta do Sol you can visit Nossa Senhora da Luz church, established in an ancient chapel of the 15th century. It was rebuild at the beginning of the 18th century. The temple is very precious, for the engravings and representations it possesses.